Carl Wayne Buntion, once the oldest inmate on Texas death row, was executed for the 1990 fatal shooting of Houston police officer James Irby. Buntion, 78, was put to death at the state penitentiary in Huntsville after the U.S. Supreme Court declined a final request from his attorneys to stop the execution.
The case began on June 27, 1990, when Officer James Irby pulled over a vehicle in Houston. Buntion, who had an extensive criminal record and had been on parole for only a few weeks, was a passenger in the car. During the traffic stop, Buntion shot Irby, a veteran officer who had served nearly 20 years with the Houston Police Department.
Investigators quickly built the case around the scene evidence, witness accounts, and Buntion’s role in the shooting. Irby’s death deeply affected the Houston law enforcement community, especially because he was a longtime officer, husband, and father of two young children.
Buntion was convicted and sentenced to death, but his case remained in the court system for decades. In 2009, an appeals court vacated his death sentence, but a new jury later resentenced him to death in 2012. His attorneys continued filing appeals, including arguments related to his age and long time on death row, but the courts allowed the execution to proceed.
In his final statement, Buntion expressed remorse to Irby’s family, saying he hoped they could find closure. As the execution began, he prayed Psalm 23 with his spiritual adviser before the lethal injection took effect. He was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m.
Outside the prison, motorcyclists gathered in support of Officer Irby and revved their engines as the execution was carried out. For Irby’s family, the moment marked the end of a long legal process that had stretched across more than three decades.
The case remains one of Texas’ most notable death penalty cases because of Buntion’s age, the length of time he spent on death row, and the lasting impact of Officer Irby’s murder on his family and the Houston police community.
